Korean Inspired Rice Bowl

When I think of recent food trends, ingredients like cauliflower and pork butt come to mind (I'll get to my butt in another post), but far as dishes go, rice bowls are trending big time. The internuts are filled with attractive combinations and what I find truly appealing is their interchangeability. Quinoa or buckwheat is substituted for rice, veggies range from carrots and greens to mushrooms and onions. Some are coated in cheese, others include eggs, meat and legumes. The message is simple: "Just put it in a bowl, already!"

I'm certain my version has been pulled from a few posts I've read over time, but the exact source of my inspiration is my fridge. I had some leftover carrots and peppers I bought on special and picked up some tofu, peanuts and eggs over the weekend.  I had a hankering for kimchi, so bought a jar of that too.  I went overboard with the ingredients and wound up having to get a bigger bowl, but the point of my recipe below is to give you a guideline that you can interpret to your tastes.

Ingredients

Vegetables

• sesame oil
• 1/2 bunch of kale, ribs removed and finely chopped
• 1 carrot, julienned (I used a mandolin to do the work for me)
• 1 eggplant, thinly sliced 
• 1 red pepper, sliced

Fried tofu

• 1 package firm tofu, cubed
• 1/2 cup soya sauce
• 1/4 cup chili sauce (sambal oelek)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 t chopped ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup cornstarch

The Other Stuff

• 1 cup long grain, brown rice
• 4 eggs
• 1T vinegar
• 1 cup kimchi
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced lengthwise
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped

Method

In a blender, purée the soya sauce, 1/4 cup cilantro, chili sauce, ginger and garlic until smooth. Combine the marinade with the tofu and let sit for anywhere between 2 - 24 hours (the longer the better). Remove from the marinade and place in a bowl with the cornstarch. Coat the pieces well with the starch and place in a heated fry pan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Stir the tofu to ensure all sides are golden brown. Transfer from the pan to a paper towel-covered plate and reserve the marinade.

Follow package instructions to prepare the rice. One cup should yield 4 servings.

For the vegetables, heat a frying pan on medium-high heat with a tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the carrots and sauté for one minute. Add a spoonful of sambal oelek and the kale and sauté for another minute. Transfer the veggies to a dish and wipe down the pan. Pour another tablespoon of sesame oil into the frying pan. Place the eggplant slices on the pan and sprinkle a little salt over them. Let them sit for about 2 minutes. Flip the slices over and cook another 2 minutes, again sprinkling a little salt on the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the red pepper to the pan and pour the tofu marinade overtop. Let simmer for about 2 minutes, until the peppers have softened.

To poach the eggs, fill a small pot with water and a tablespoon of vinegar. Bring the water almost to a boil, but reduce the heat to medium when about to boil. Crack one egg and pour into a bowl. Begin vigorously stirring the water in one direction and add the egg, allowing the momentum of the water to keep the egg intact. Let the egg to cook for 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

When ready to serve, divide the rice into four bowls. Spoon each of the vegetables and tofu  over the rice and add your avocado, peanut and cilantro garnishes alongside them.

Deliciously Easy Pad Thai

I'm really excited about this recipe and the results it produced after only one attempt. Over the years I've tried making a number of my favorite restaurant dishes and have had mixed success. This particular recipe however, produced restaurant-quality results. It's exciting to think that the next time I crave Pad Thai, I will have to debate whether to eat it at a nearby Thai restaurant or make it myself.

Asian noodle dishes, particularly Vietnamese and Thai, have been this mythical creature I can sort of mimic, but can't quite figure out. While the recipes are straight forward, it's the rice noodles that trip me up the most. I've had really poor luck getting noodles to the consistency I've had in restaurants. I think I treat them much like I would egg noodles, which just doesn't work for the rice variety. This recipe I used gives some basic tips for getting your noodles right and I managed to nail it the first time. From start to finish, it took me 40 minutes to prepare. It's a pretty straight forward one pot dish and all things considered, inexpensive to make. While you can swap out tamarind paste for vinegar, if you have access to an Asian market, I'd make the effort to get the paste. The original recipe calls for a banana flower and preserved turnip. I actually did go looking for these items but not surprisingly, couldn't find them in Edmonton, Alberta. I omitted them from my own version of this recipe as a result.









Adapted from: http://www.thaitable.com/

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup peanuts or cashews
• 2 shallots, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 red chilis, minced
• 1 package extra firm tofu, patted dry
• 1 package (454g) Thai rice noodles
• 12 t fish sauce
• 4 T sugar
• 6 T tamarind paste
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup chives
• 1 package frozen shrimp, thawed (454g)
• 2 eggs
• 2 limes 

Method

To start, soak the noodles in a pot of lukewarm water while you prepare the other ingredients.  Make sure the noodles are completely submerged in water. Mince the garlic, chilis and shallots together and set aside. Cut the tofu and chives into matchstick-size pieces and set aside in separate bowls. Mix the sugar, fish sauce and tamarind past in a bowl and set aside. Rinse the bean sprouts and shell the shrimp for later use.

Heat the oil on medium in a wok or large saucepan (I don't have a wok, so I used a large pot). Add the nuts, tossing well to coat with the oil. Once slightly browned, add the shallots, chilis and garlic, sautéing for about 3 minutes. Brown the tofu pieces over the course of 5-10 minutes. Drain and add the noodles tossing well to blend well with all the other ingredients. Test the noodles to ensure they are a soft, but firm consistency. If you prefer them softer at this point, add a little water to the pot. Add the sauce and again, toss well to coat with all the ingredients. Push the noodles to one side of the pot and crack the eggs into the remaining space. Let the eggs fry for about 1 minute and then blend them in with the noodle mixture. Add the shrimp and continue to toss the noodles until the shrimp have lost their translucency. Add two thirds of the sprouts and chives, combining them well with the noodles and set aside for 2 minutes. Serve the dish with lime wedges and top each serving with the remaining fresh chives and sprouts.

Making Tofu More than Tolerable: The Lemongrass Tofu Bowl

It is Monday and this recipe is meatless: how timely! If you're not on the tofu train for its' reputation as a heavily genetically modified product, that's fair. Beans, nuts, fish and/or meat can be inputed in lieu of tofu. I have some concerns about tofu, but not enough to nix soya products from my diet altogether. So, if this dish gives me a third nipple, it will almost be worth it due to its sheer deliciousness.

Honestly, I use tofu as a substitute for beans because nobody wants or needs to be exposed to that many farting fits at my office. I am also an impressionable eater and in an attempt to consume less meat for health factors as expressed by friends, family and the media, I experiment with vegetarian recipes. This is an example and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

From: http://www.sproutedkitchen.com/

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 12-14 oz of firm tofu
• lemongrass paste (fresh was unavailable, but always best)
• 2 t sriracha or chile paste
• 1 T lime juice
• 2 t rice wine vinegar
• 1 T fresh grated ginger
• 1 T coconut oil
• 2 T broccoli florets
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 1/2 cup chopped, green onions
• 3/4 cup light coconut milk
• 2 T soya sauce
• 2 T sesame sauce
• 2 large avocados, sliced

Method

Cook brown rice according to package instructions. 

Cube the tofu into bite size pieces. Combine the lemongrass, chile paste, garlic, lime juice, vinegar and tofu into a bowl. Toss the tofu well and set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes. I marinated the tofu overnight. 

Warm the coconut oil and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a pan over high heat. Pour in the tofu and marinade and cook until the edges have browned; about five minutes. Add the broccoli, carrots, remaining sesame oil, soya sauce and coconut milk, tossing well to coat with the oil mixture and allowing to cook for about 3 minutes. Spoon in the green onions and mix with the existing ingredients. Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds, avocado and cilantro. 

Hunan Tofu..or Hunan Chicken, Beef or Seafood if you prefer.

Lessons learned from this recipe:

• You can over-fry tofu. In an attempt to get the golden-brown color pictured on the recipe's original website, I let the tofu sit in oil too long. Take a look at the picture of the tofu to your right for what not to do. If you follow the time guidelines, you shouldn't have this problem and  your tofu should look a bit more like this:

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/fried-tofu-recipe.php

• This dish can easily evolve into a very salty dish. This is likely the only meal I've cooked where I would use reduced salt soya sauce.
• Whether there is a typo in the recipe I followed or not, I thought it called for too much pepper for my liking. I've adjusted the recipe to suit my tastes. On the other hand, I was using pre-ground and relatively fine pepper for the first time in ages, which I wouldn't do again. 

If tofu isn't your thing, substitute it with chicken, fish, seafood (shrimp would rock this dish) or beef and saute the meat in a bit of oil as opposed to frying it. 

Despite a few errors in the making, I loved this dish. I took the entire thing to work and ate it all week. It's one of the few I've made that has a sauce that's restaurant quality. I ate this with long grain brown rice, but any kind of noodle or other rice would be lovely too. I will be making this again, factoring in all of the points above. 

Adapted from: http://userealbutter.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup country ham, julienned
• 1 T Chinese cooking wine or sherry
• 20 oz of firm tofu plus oil for frying
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 3 green onions, julienned
• 2 red chilis seeded and sliced thin
• 1 T garlic, minced
• 3 T chinese black bean sauce
• 1 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1t dark soya sauce
• 1/2 t sesame oil
• 1 t cornstarch
• 1 T water

Method

Mix the ham and wine/sherry in a bowl and set aside to soak. Cut the tofu into half-inch thick slices. Pat the tofu dry.  Cover the interior surface of a large frying pan with a good dose of oil and heat on high. Once hot, add the tofu to the oil a few pieces at a time, frying for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set on paper towel, adding more to the pan as space becomes available. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan or wok on high. Once heated, saute the onions, chili and garlic for about a minute. Add the black bean sauce, pepper and the ham. Stir in the chicken broth, soya sauce  and sesame oil. Mix the cornstarch and water together in a bowl. When the liquid begins to boil, add the cornstarch mixture, reducing the heat to let the contents simmer until it thickens. Add the tofu, coating it with the sauce and let simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve with long grain rice or noodles.

Shrimp & Tofu Pad Thai

I just keep going back to Asian food. The appeal of the one-pot dish is universal, but the Asian dish just draws me in. Perhaps that, and an aversion to making the same dish twice. I have been to Thailand and sampled a few variations of Pad Thai, but I can't say that I was sold on it at the time. Must have been over time that I began to appreciate the combination of flavours. This particular one is a goodie and an easy dish to prepare all elements of in advance. I did just that and then passed the torch on to Ruedi who cleverly assembled the ingredients in a frying pan. The bean sprouts should have been added with the other vegetables, but got forgotten and were eventually added fresh to our serving bowls. Honestly, I'm not sure whether that was a mistake or pure genius. They added a crunchiness to the dish that was lovely.

While most of the ingredients in this dish can be bought at your local grocer, tamarind paste is a little tricky to source. If you can't find any, some sources claim that Worchestershire or HP sauce may work in a pinch. I would suggest buying a pad thai sauce and supplementing any absent flavours. So for example, the sauce we found included tamarind, soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. Adding half the lime juice and the fish sauce would round out this sauce quite nicely.

Adapted from: http://www.sweetsugarbean.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 oz package of wide, flat rice noodles
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3-4 limes, plus one whole lime for garnish)
• 1 T tamarind paste 
• 4 T soy sauce
• 4 T fish sauce 
• 1-2 T Sriracha or other hot spicy chili garlic sauce you like. Adjust heat accordingly!
• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 package (14 ounces) firm or extra firm tofu, drained, thinly sliced and patted dry
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 green onions, thinly sliced (save some for garnishing plates in the end)
• coarse salt
• 12 -14 large shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled 
• 4 T roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Method

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, soy and fish sauce, Sriracha and brown sugar.  Set aside.  In a large non-stick skillet or wok, heat 1 tsp canola oil over med-high heat, tilting to coat the pan.  Add egg and swirl to coat bottom, and cook just until set, about 1 minute.  Transfer egg to cutting board and slice into thin strips.  Set aside.  Add 4 tsp of canola oil to wok and add tofu in a single layer.  Brown on both sides, about 7 minutes.  Transfer to bowl and set aside.  At this point, pour boiling water over your rice noodles, and let stand about 8 minutes until soft.  Drain.
Add 2 tbsp oil to wok and cook the carrots, sprouts, garlic, green onion until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the lime juice mixture and bring to a simmer.  Add the shrimp, cook until shrimp pink, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add egg and tofu and cooked noodles.  Toss gently until all is warmed through.  Season to taste with more salt, Sriracha, if needed.  Divide among  plates and garnish with lime wedges, peanuts, cilantro and more green onions.  

Peppercorn Tofu Stirfry

Adapted from http://torviewtoronto.blogspot.com

Serves 4

• 2 T oil
• 1 pkt (about 400g) tofu cut into 1" cubes
• 2 green onions chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 cups sugar snap peas
• 2 cups of bean sprouts
• 1 t peppercorns
• 1 t sugar
• 1 T oyster sauce
• 1 T soya sauce 

Using a mortar and pestle grind the peppercorns and sugar, set aside.

Heat oil in a fry pan. Add the tofu and toss periodically until all sides are golden. Add the garlic and let saute for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the sugar snap peas, sprouts and green onion with the tofu mix. Saute for 3 minutes. Finally add the pepper, sugar, oyster sauce, and soya sauce. 

This can be eaten on its own, as a side, mixed with rice or noodles.